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  1. #1

    Cool Most Marines Oppose New Okinawa Tour Plan

    02-20-2004

    Most Marines Oppose New Okinawa Tour Plan





    By Matthew Dodd



    In the eleven weeks since it was published, I’ve received a lot of heartfelt responses from my article about the new Marine Corps policy establishing two-year unaccompanied tours to Okinawa (“Study Long-Term Impact of New USMC Policies,” DefenseWatch, Dec. 1, 2003).



    Like the feedback I received in response to a later article on the II MEF traffic violations plan (“Marines Divided over Traffic Violation Policy,” DefenseWatch, Jan. 27, 2004), the new Okinawa policy has touched a nerve in many Marines. Unlike the traffic violations policy, an overwhelming majority of Marines are opposed to the Okinawa policy.



    Let me share with you some selected excerpts from those e-mails and my analysis of what those e-mails told me.



    I noticed that practically all the thoughts and opinions I received were in response to the selected official Headquarters Marine Corps “sound-bites” that I referenced in my article. Therefore, I will organize the excerpts according to those “sound-bite” categories.



    SOUND-BITE: “[This policy change] reflects a steady improvement in the living conditions and entertainment options for leathernecks assigned to the Pacific outposts …. The overall quality of life is now relatively comparable to stateside assignments.”



    Analysis: An unfriendly local population plus an over-reliance on organized intramurals does not equal a high quality of life. One Marine asks:



    “Having spent two tours and a total of three years in Oki, I think I have a little bit to say about the policy .… On many levels, Okinawa is far different than other overseas military bases around the world .… Okinawa, while a well-populated island, is not wrought with recreational opportunities. Much of the population is not overly friendly with the U.S. forces, and other than the marine park or scuba diving, not much else is of particular interest to the average Marine. Costs for doing simple things such as eating at a restaurant are so high as to essentially eliminate this as a viable option for the junior enlisted Marine .… Organized intramurals or picnics can only go so far in keeping morale up and having excess youthful energy expended.”



    Analysis: How can families have a good quality of life when separated for two years, a second Marine wants to know:


    “Even 1 year away from your family brings a lot of hardships and I am just glad that I will not have to do a 2-year tour while I am married. I believe that

    extending the tours from 1 to 2 years would cause problems for Marines that

    were married. I do not think that single Marines will be affected as much as

    married ones are .… I believe that the two-year tours to Oki will be destructive to families if Marines opt to leave their families in the States and go accompanied for two years. We already have enough marital problems.”



    Analysis: A third Marine wonders, if Okinawa was as good as stateside assignments, why does the Corps reward Marines for extending on Okinawa and not reward Marines for extending in stateside assignments?



    “My only question is if at the 12-month mark, will Marines be offered the same incentives (plane ticket to home of record, or extra leave, or $2,000) currently on the table for those considering extending for another year?”



    SOUND-BITE: “Okinawa is just another Marine base. It just happens to be over in Japan.”



    Analysis: So, all Marine bases are equal, but some are more equal than others, as this Marine notes:



    “Been years since this old Marine has been on the Rock. What’s changed to make it such a gala place? Can we find liberty runs to Hong Kong, PI, or other places for just plain liberty, like we used to do for RVN R&R? Two years

    there would be enough to scare me. When we owned the Island and dictated

    what we were going to do, we could have made it a better place.”



    Analysis: Have Marine Corps officials been listening to too many songs by the Eagles? The policy is reminiscent of the lyric, “Welcome to the Hotel Okinawa …. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” This Marine observes:



    “Single Marines living in Oki are essentially in a situation of enforced celibacy, and while this is bad enough for one year, most 19-year-old Marines would find a 2-year stint of not dating to be unbearable. And for every Marine who gets a chance to go to Korea, Thailand, or the Philippines on an operation, three Marines will be stuck on the island for the entire 2 years.”



    Analysis: Yeah, but think of all the money you will save on frivolous train expenses, as this Marine points out:



    “Army troops in Europe can easily hop a train and go to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, etc on a three-day weekend. Marines on Oki do not have that type of opportunity. They are on Oki, and they will stay on Oki.”



    SOUND-BITE: “The intent is to increase unit effectiveness by keeping Marines there longer .… The reduced turnover will enhance our operational readiness and … war-fighting capability.”



    Analysis: At least one reader agreed with the sound-bite:

    “From mid-1997 through about mid-1999, unaccompanied “fresh-out-of-school” 2nd lt’s in the Air-Ground [military occupational specialties] MOS’s who were sent to 1st [Marine Air Wing] were given 24-month unaccompanied orders. This was an arrangement made by the monitors and the senior officers of those MOS’s already ‘on-island’. This was done in order to curtail the high turnover …. Shiny, new 2nd lt’s would spend a year there, rotate and take with them a year’s worth of experience, only to be replaced by another 2nd lt who would repeat the process. His peers [stateside] would spend the requisite 36 months there, go to [career level school], then a [supporting establishment] billet, then back to the [operating forces] leaving the Okinawa units with mid-level captains and new 2nd lt’s, except for the occasional lt who would extend for another year … I was one of those 2nd lt’s given 24-month orders, and can attest to the benefits of 2-year tours for all Marines in Okinawa. The cohesion, camaraderie, and ‘operational readiness’ that we had cannot be developed as well over the course of just one year.”



    Analysis: Many others disagreed with the sound-bite, such as this Marine’s response:



    “As far as military training, Okinawa is basically garrison duty. Other than small-unit tactics, training opportunities are quite sub-par. The longer Marines are kept on Oki, the more their skills atrophy when compared to Marines stationed elsewhere .… Now the Japanese call the shots and it’s hard to even train like we’re going to war. Maybe we should consider moving our forward presence to a more accommodating place?”



    Analysis: And one Marine could not understand how readiness and Okinawa fit together in that sound-bite:



    “I have been stationed on Okinawa a total of 4 different times from 1988 to my most recent 2003 Unit Deployment. I think you’re missing the point. There is no need to have anybody forward deployed to Okinawa or a 3rd Marine Division [Mar Div] for that matter. After the end of the Cold War the 3rd Mar Div became the public relations division of the far east. They do not partake in any relevant real-world missions nor is any of the training preparing you for it. While [Camp Pendleton, CA-based] I [Marine Expeditionary Force] MEF and part of [Camp LeJeune, NC-based] II MEF fight the fight, active-duty Marines in the 3rd Mar Div go crazy as every National Guard and reserve unit goes off to defend the country. It sucks being a prize fighter and never getting a shot at the Title.”



    SOUND-BITE: “If [Marines are] there for two years they start to be good neighbors … and they’ll be able to understand the culture better and hopefully that will make us be better guests of the island.”



    Analysis: This sounds like the “Dances With Wolves” approach to improving cross-cultural relations, as one Marine indicates:



    “Three year accompanied tours are fine. But I firmly believe that two-year unaccompanied tours will decrease retention and cause more problems vis-a-vis interaction with the local population. I believe we will see more incidents which will cause strife between the Marines and the Okinawans .… As for the Marine Corps saying that this would make the Marines that get stationed there act more like it was their home and want to learn more about the culture in Japan, I doubt it will do that.”



    Conclusion: Personally, when I first heard about the new Okinawa policy, I cringed. The more I read about it, the more I thought it was not a good move. Now, after reading the comments of so many former and current Marines, I am convinced that this well-intentioned but misguided policy will do much more harm than good for the Corps.



    Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

    http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/c....8101554835721


    Sempers,

    Roger



  2. #2
    Marine Free Member CAS3's Avatar
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    Sounds like a lot of whining on the part of the troops..

    Can use say " needs of the Corps".

    I enjoyed visiting Okinawa when my husband was there for his year!!
    I understand how difficult it is to have a spouse away for a year. I also understand and accept and LOVE my Marine Corps. No matter what "idiotic" command decision is made. I guess it has something to do with that oath I took!


  3. #3
    Tour of duty in most places will be boring to most.
    Things have changed on Okinawa since I was last there.
    On my tour there in 1958, I took up the martial arts besides trying to develop other interests, such as photography.
    We also pick-up the bad habit of drinking, or should I say we reforced the little drinking we had done pior to enlisting.
    We try learning the customs of the Okinawains.
    They repaid me in ways most Marines never saw.
    I was invited to dinner and a beach party.
    Now with all the crime against the Okinawains it might never be the same as when I was last there in 1968.
    Even in 1958, the communists on Okinawa would conduct demostrations against the United States presence on Okinawa.
    Some Marines were caught up in those demostrations, they suffered serious injuries.
    Wonder if any Marine died from those injuries?
    Now we left to wonder if any of this whining in the words of CAS3, will have any good on two-year unaccompanied tours.
    Not much...
    IMHO...

    Semper Fidelis
    Ricardo


  4. #4
    CAS3-That says it all..."oath I took"
    When you sign on the dotted line, you agree to go where you are told and do what you are told...Welcome to the United States Marine Corps!!


  5. #5
    CAS3,

    You just visited Oki. My first impression there was great as well, but I was ready to leave at the end of the year. I didn't though. I extended for six months to go on deployment. Hong Kong and Australia were worth the 6 months extra!

    But 2 years is one too many. I was a Airframes guru in a 46 squadron. Our shop only had 11 guys. 5 were married at the start of their year. 1 was at the end. If it had been a 2 year tour, I'm sure the other would have divorced as well. The bad part of it all, was when the married guys would go on emergency leave to try and save their marriage. It left the shop shorthanded and everyone else had to pick up the slack.

    The most annoying part of it all, was the married guys tried to get a 3 year accompanied tour, but were denied it. Seems the Corps could save money by not moving a household, and moving just one person.

    I agree with you that we go where and when we are told, but there needs to be a balance. 1. Mission accomplishment 2. Troop Welfare Once we have handled #1 we cannot forget #2


  6. #6
    I was there in 1979, and I too, thought it was beautiful! But there is no way I could spend 2 years there!


  7. #7

    Two Years?

    CAS3 said, Sounds like a lot of whining on the part of the troops.. I enjoyed visiting Okinawa when my husband was there for his year!! I understand how difficult it is to have a spouse away for a year. I also understand and accept and LOVE my Marine Corps. No matter what "idiotic" command decision is made. I guess it has something to do with that oath I took!

    For some reason I find this hard to believe, I also took that oath when I enlisted, wasn't promise any Rose garden, wasn't issued a wife, had to be a E-5 to get married without permission from my C.O. Went when I was called to go, never complained about leaving my family no matter how hard if was on them. But damn you for saying "like a lot of whining on the part of the troops". I loved my Corps and if I were to be called to help I would gladly go today. Okinawa is the septic tank of Japan, a foul smelling Island with more *****s that all of the USA. Seems as if the the head honchos are at it again, save money not improve readiness or relations with the Japanese people; now this is the NEW CORPS not the OLD that I joined. If the Marine Corps want to send troops over to a foreign country then adopt the same system as the Army and the Air Force. Married Marines three year tour, single Marines two year tour, allowing dependents to fly home on Space/A to the states once a year.

    Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC also is a Marine.

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  8. #8
    Registered User Free Member VMGRMech's Avatar
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    I'm not reading all that, but the year I spent in Oki went by very fast. Two years might not be best for married Marines going unacompanied, but it is definatley better for the commands. With the old policy just as you were getting a new Marine trained properly it was time for him to rotate, now at least you'll get the benift of that time dedicated to that new Marine.

    BTW: as long as they don't mess with COLA I'd go back in a heart beat.


  9. #9
    VMGRMech: Good for you. Then you go back for two years. When My Squadron deployed to Japan my Squadron was already trained to do any job that had to be accomplished; we did our training in the states prior to deployment, we didn't go to Japan to train. All pilots had to requality for carrier operations, we train all personnel to service our aircraft for any outbreak of hostal action. When I was single deployment to any over seas tour I looked forward to going on. Made two Mediterranean cruses and enjoyed both of them. Got to see places that I would never have seen if I hadn't joined the Marine Corps. As a single Marine I didn't have any responsibility to a wife and could let my hair down and do as I please without feeling guilty. The old saying, you wasn't issued a wife, well this went out the window when they started letting married men and women enlist in the Marine Corps.So don't give me that crap "but it is defiantly better for the commands. With the old policy just as you were getting a new Marine trained properly it was time for him to rotate". The VMGR squadrons that I knew also were trained to do the job they were called to do prior to deployment

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  10. #10
    From what I remember of my tour in Oki, there were not that many recreational venues open to us. There was a saying, while stationed on Oki you became one of three things: 1. A "Jesus Freak;" 2. A PT Fanatic; 3. or a drunk. Which I think pretty much sums up what there is to do on Oki! Nada!!!

    Add that to the hostile civilian population makes for a bad duty station. I'd rather do 4 back to back cruises then a 2 year tour on Oki!


  11. #11
    I was #2 and #3, I was a drunk PT freak. A buddy and I ran fron Schwab to Hansen..a fun run..


  12. #12
    Registered User Free Member VMGRMech's Avatar
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    Originally posted by usmc4669
    VMGRMech: Good for you. Then you go back for two years. When My Squadron deployed to Japan my Squadron was already trained to do any job that had to be accomplished; we did our training in the states prior to deployment, we didn't go to Japan to train. All pilots had to requality for carrier operations, we train all personnel to service our aircraft for any outbreak of hostal action. When I was single deployment to any over seas tour I looked forward to going on. Made two Mediterranean cruses and enjoyed both of them. Got to see places that I would never have seen if I hadn't joined the Marine Corps. As a single Marine I didn't have any responsibility to a wife and could let my hair down and do as I please without feeling guilty. The old saying, you wasn't issued a wife, well this went out the window when they started letting married men and women enlist in the Marine Corps.So don't give me that crap "but it is defiantly better for the commands. With the old policy just as you were getting a new Marine trained properly it was time for him to rotate". The VMGR squadrons that I knew also were trained to do the job they were called to do prior to deployment

    Well old timer things have changed a little while you've been flying your rocking chair. VMGR 152 not on UDP it is permently assigned to MCAS Futema. Replacement personnel are given orders from state side units or C school on an as needed basis. Life on the Island is good, pay is higher, and deployments are a hell of a lot more fun at 152 than at any other VMGR I've been assigned to.


  13. #13
    1963 MY COMPANY H CO. FORCED MARCHED 50 MILES IN 16TEEN HOURS AND 15TEEN MINUTES BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 23 HOURS [[[THAT WAS OUR CLAIM TO FAME AT
    CAMP SCHWAB OKINAWA]]]

    ALL THE WAY 2ND BAT 3RD MARINES


  14. #14
    I was with HMM-265 when we PCS'ed the whold squadron from K-Bay to Oki. We were with the MEU the whole 18 months I was there and it was too much. (refer to previous post about being shorthanded)

    We worked 7 days a week, a minimum of 12 hour shifts. Except one Christmas when they gave us a half a day off. Whooopee!!

    The one good thing was that we adopted the Old Corps ways. If you weren't flying that day, you could drink while you worked. Hell, I showed up at least once a week barely able to stand because I was still drunk. I guess the command felt sorry for us and let a lot of stuff slide. Morale was the lowest I ever saw and the general attitude was "Who gives a ****." I actually saw people fix things on the plane that was half-assed and say "It'll hold till I rotate back to CONUS." If it didn't, we'd just fix it on a Saturday or Sunday. We're working anyways. If two year tours become the norm I hate to think of what will happen to the men and equipment.


  15. #15
    If we are going to adopt the Army and Air Force two year policy let's also adopt their remote duty station pay for those on Okinawa.


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